The nomination meeting being Tuesday (August 17th), and results from the online voting for candidate being Friday morning presents some challenges considering that we expect an election call Sunday. Beyond wasting the first full week of campaigning, and all the organizational delays, a big challenge is getting signatures and paperwork filled out for Elections Canada in time. Generally about 2 weeks from the elections call.
Part of the paperwork for Elections Canada requires 100 signatures of riding residents - not necessarily party members just residents. General suggestion is actually getting 150, to avoid any issues of what if someone has illegible hand writing etc for verification. Due to the tight timeline, the Electoral District Association has green lit the nominees collecting signatures pre-emptively.
Previously, candidates had to get their signatures in person. Due to COVID, Elections Canada has made a new Consent to Run signature sheet with only a single signature and witness. Unfortunately, unlike Elections BC which did a similar thing, Elections Canada has decided to require ink signatures instead of electronic. So to use the single form, riding residents must print, sign (and get a witness to sign) and then scan and send to the candidate. Waste of paper imo, but that's the way it is, so that's what we must do.
I'll be at Veterans Memorial Park in Langford (at Goldstream/Veterans Memorial Parkway) with the larger consent forms looking for signatures from 9:30-10:30am tomorrow (Sunday, August 15th) - just look for the guy in the Green Party.